Russian Vehicle Commission V

I’ve finished 8 of the 12 Hinds, the other 4 are going to sit for a little bit while I recover from painting soooo many vehicles.

To paint the camouflage I used Anarchy Model’s HD Stencil System. I really like these stencils, they’re sticky enough without pulling paint up with some flexibility. Ideally they would stretch and go over details easier, but I expect that’s near impossible while retaining the adhesion to stop paint seeping through. You can see a couple of work in progress pictures below.

The models were glued together with Revel plastic adhesive. A combination of squadron putty and Vallejo Plastic Putty (70.400) were used to fill the gaps

Step 1: underside surfaces spray painted sky blue.

The sky blue masked off for the next layer of paint.

A tan layer is next followed by the Anarchy Models stencils.

The final coat of paint.

The stencils are carefully peeled off.

Each helicopter is unique, but they still look like a unit.

Decals are the final step before washes are applied.

The colours I used on the Hinds are below. I decided not to weather them, I reckon aircraft would be in slightly better condition. Unlike a tank you don’t knock it against something, shrug and then just keep driving. The camouflage pattern creates a lot of visual interest, and the tonal variation from the filter and where the wash is cleaned off I think gives enough to please the eye without consuming too much time. As it is, I averaged about 4 hours of work on each helicopter.

Underside: Sky Blue (VMC 70.961)

Camouflage I: Light Brown (VMA 71.027)

Camouflage II: Russian Green Base ZIS 508 (A.MIG-932)

Windows: Black Grey (VMC 70.862)

Exhausts: Black (VMC 70.950)

Missile Pods: Protective NC 1200 (A.MID-053)

Rocket Pods: Grey Primer (VPC 74.601)

Tail Rotors – Blades: Dark Grey Blue (VMA 71.054)

Main Rotors – Blades: Black Primer (VPC 74.600)

Tail & Main Rotors – Mounts: Oily Steel (VMC 71.865) – Dry brush

Here are some pictures of the finished helicopters.

Lastly a couple of group shots of all the helicopter and then all the vehicles: tanks, AFVs and helicopters.

I also painted a handful of tankers. I modelled a few of the vehicles to include open hatches and these little guys will occupy these hatches. In the game this represents the commanders. Mainly for the record, I’ve included the colours I used.